When we found out we were expecting our first sweet child, we were full of joy. There was very little fear; mostly excitement. Quickly we began our doctor appointments, our prayers, and towards the end of the first trimester we shared our news with friends and family. We thoroughly enjoyed each ultrasound and each time we were able to hear the heartbeat of our little one. I loved the way my skin glowed, feeling those sweet little (or sometimes strong) kicks, and buying some cute new maternity clothes.
We expected much of those joys and we accepted them with great enthusiasm and gratitude, giving much glory to God for the amazing gift we had been given.
What we did not anticipate was the sacrifices that would come along with pregnancy. I was sick, very sick. It was not the traditional morning sickness. I spent most of my days on the floor, the couch, or in the bathroom. Many people gave their suggestions of relieving morning sickness with ginger, drinking more water, or sucking on hard candies. My reality was different, though. Nothing touched this sickness. Many assured me it would get better after the first trimester. When it did not, I realized we were in this for the long haul. I was sick up until the day I gave birth. I still consider it a complete miracle that I survived pregnancy and grew a sweet 6 pound 3 oz baby boy when I was so sick. I had to be on medication throughout pregnancy and most days, not even that stayed down, but we took it day by day, trusting in the Lord to carry us through.
It was hard. It was sacrifice. It was the udder and complete meaning of true love. It was agape love. Unconditional love is always giving. It devotes total commitment and is totally selfless. That was the kind of love we had for our little one. Sweet little baby could not return any of the love I was giving, but man oh man, I was sacrificing for him.
Some women have relatively easy pregnancies. I was not one of them. Pregnancy was a tough cross for me to bear, especially while working full time. We did it, though. We carried that cross and loved our Lord. We poured ourselves into fiercely protecting our little one and boy oh boy, I am glad we did.
Love the Bachers 